the chance to hear the Dalai Lama speak about compassion and social
responsibility could be the hottest ticket in town this morning.

The Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner is to speak
at the Pengrowth Saddledome in September as part of a two-day
conference hosted by the University of Calgary.

Tickets for his public appearance will go on sale at 10 a. m. through
Ticketmaster.

"His Holiness is a recognized leader on compassion and social
responsibility. It's a tremendous opportunity to inspire that type of
discussion and, most importantly, have students be a part of that
discussion," saidUofCspokeswoman Catherine Bagnell.

Around 17,000 tickets will be avail-able, ranging from $25 for
students up to $75.

Lobsang Dorje and his parents came to Calgary as Tibetan refugees in
1981, just months after the Dalai Lama last spoke in this city.

Though Dorje has seen the Dalai Lama several times, hearing him speak
in Calgary will be special.

Members of Calgary's Tibetan community, as well as some Tibetans who
are travelling from other communities, have been given the
opportunity to pre-purchase tickets to ensure they won't miss out on
the event, said Dorje.

The U of C has reserved 1,500 floor seats for students of all ages at $25 each.

"The very best seats, and the least-expensive seats, have been
reserved for students. These seats are for any students, not
justUofCstudents or university students, but any student that has an
active student ID card," said Bagnell.

Sales of tickets for the Dalai Lama's speech come as Ticketmaster has
drawn criticism for the relationship between its main website and its
subsidiary ticket auction website, TicketsNow.

TicketsNow is no longer available in Alberta, a source with
Ticketmaster said Friday.

For the Dalai Lama's event, a large number of seats will be for sale
to the public today, the source said.